


Acts of Man

by Wreck



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Dinner, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-21
Updated: 2013-12-21
Packaged: 2018-01-02 10:12:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1055542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wreck/pseuds/Wreck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the morning of their Annual pre-Christmas Dinner, Merlin is shocked to find out that Gwen thinks his boyfriend, Arthur, isn't good enough. But after a glimpse into Merlin's quirky flat, Gwen realizes that she might not have the whole story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Acts of Man

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SPowell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SPowell/gifts).
  * Translation into 中文 available: [Acts of Man](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11421276) by [AprQuens](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AprQuens/pseuds/AprQuens)



> I tried to incorporate as much of your tropes/prompts into this fic as possible, and I was particularly drawn to the dominant/protective Merlin and the gang thinking Arthur's a prat boyfriend tropes. Fluff is always more of a challenge for me, but I hope you like the results. I had a blast writing it. Happy Merlin Holidays!!
> 
> ***  
> The title of this is from the Frightened Rabbit song of the same name off the album "Pedestrian Verse." As soon as I read the prompt, this is what I thought of for some reason...
> 
> That being said, a large portion of this was inspired by the song "Love in the Mundane" by Fake Major. I recommend listening to that while you read.
> 
> ***  
> A giant thank you to my most wonderful beta in the whole world, Sam, who not only convinced me I could write fluff, but also got this turned around in a crazy short amount of time. As usual, I owe you a pony.
> 
> ***  
> Update: this fic has been translated into Russian by jussika! This is the first fic I've ever had translated and I can't tell you how awesome this is! Check out the Russian Translation [here](http://ficbook.net/readfic/2519886)!

 

 

 

_I have never wanted more, to be your man_  
 _And build a house around you_  
 _I am just like all the rest of them_  
 _Sorry, selfish, trying to improve_

– Acts of Man by Frightened Rabbit

* * *

At the top of the rickety stairs, there is an attic flat that has walls that never meet in a right angle. The doors stick in the winter and never close all the way in the summer, and closets and shelves appear to have been installed in random and unexpected places. Across one of the bedroom walls, there is a stained glass window that refuses to be covered all the way despite hundreds of attempts to rearrange the heavy curtains, and on bright mornings the jewel tones dance across the bed and wall, waking the sleepers far earlier than desired.

It’s an odd flat, and one that could never keep a renter very long until Merlin happened upon it. In the years that he’d lived there, Merlin had complained about each and every quirk to anyone who would listen, especially to his landlord. But he secretly loved the place. It might not be much, but it’s his and there’s something magical in the attic flat, he could feel it in his bones.

Merlin added to the flat’s oddments with his own personal collection. There’s a charity shop couch with the leg that broke when Merlin and Gwaine discovered it was too wide to fit through the narrow hall. There’s a bookshelf that he and Will had redone one summer under the guidance of his Uncle Gaius, and that was now packed with all of his history books and various framed photos of his friends taken by Gwen. And above a small fireplace (the flat’s only source of heat), there’s a map of the world that’s stuck with postcards and pins and souvenirs from both his and his friend’s travels.

It’s also rich with memories. In the tiny kitchen, Gwen had tried to teach him to waltz before heading back home to accompany his mom to a wedding. The second light in the bathroom was replaced with a green bulb by Gwaine for a Paddy’s Day party a few years back, and Merlin had never gotten around to changing it, despite looking vaguely ill every time he uses in the mirror. He was not entirely sure, but there might be a small patch of wall, hidden behind one his many bookshelves, that he and Will signed the day Merlin moved in.

And most importantly for this story, it's the flat where Merlin and Arthur will spend their first Christmas together. 

***

Merlin snuggled under his patchwork quilt, hiding his face from the dance of colours over his eyelids. It took him a moment to realize that it wasn’t the light that had woken him, but an incessant knocking at his door.

Merlin sighed but dragged himself out of bed. He looked back at the other figure, still deeply asleep, and tripped on a stack of books on his bedroom floor as he pulled a hoodie over his head. He was still cursing and hopping on one foot when he pulled the door open.

“Oh good, you’re up,” Gwen said, pushing past Merlin and into the kitchen. Merlin could hear her rummaging around, likely looking for something caffeinated.

“Gwen,” Merlin said, kicking the door closed and following her into the kitchen. “Gwen, light of my life, why are you in my kitchen at,” he checks the old clock on the oven, “half eight in the morning on a Sunday?”

“I tried to text, but you weren’t answering,” Gwen replied, shaking her head as she pulled open cupboards. “Do you have any more coffee?”

Merlin grabbed the empty bag out of her hands and tossed it onto the counter before pulling a fresh one from a shelf far above her head.

“Yeah, I was asleep. And anyway, I have no idea where my phone is. Again. Now, no coffee until you tell me what’re you’re up to,” he said, holding the bag out of her reach.

“Fine, fine,” Gwen sighed. She bit her lip and looked around the kitchen nervously. “Can I make some coffee? Then I promise I’ll tell you everything.”

“Everything,” Merlin agreed, handing the fresh bag of coffee to Gwen.

Resigned to the fact that he was not getting back in bed, Merlin left Gwen in the kitchen and padded his way to the bathroom and to look for a pair of socks. By the time he’d brushed his teeth, he was in a slightly better mood, undoubtedly helped by the smell of coffee and hazelnut filling the flat.

The old stove top coffee pot was rattling as Merlin returned and he performed an odd series of increasing and then decreasing the gas before the flame evened out and stopped threatening to melt the plastic handle off the side.

“I don’t know how you can get anything made on this stove,” Gwen complained. “You’ll burn the place down someday.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Merlin said, patting the side of the old Wedgewood oven. “She doesn’t mean it. You’re perfect.”

He switched off the range, then tapped the pot with his hand a few times before determining it was cool enough to move to another burner. Gwen appeared behind him with a pair of mugs and Merlin filled them both.

“I don’t know what crazy voodoo you do to make this cheap crap good, but I want you to know that it’s the only reason I keep you around,” Merlin said, inhaling deeply. “And it’s the only reason that you’re allowed to live after waking me at such an ungodly hour.”

“Yeah, I figured as much,” Gwen said. “And I am sorry about the early call. I just really wanted to be able to talk to you alone before tonight and I figured this would be my only chance.”

Merlin’s coffee induced grin slid away. “Is everything alright? It’s not about Lance is it? Sure he’s our mate, too, but you were here first and if we need to defend your honour, you just have to ask.”

“What?” Gwen laughed. “No. God, no. Engagement ring still on finger. But thank you for offering to defend my honour. I’ll keep that in mind.” She paused, looking down into her own coffee biting her lip again. “It’s about a different couple actually.”

“I don’t think Will was serious when he said he was going to bring the girl with the rat who does magic tricks at the tube station to our pre-Christmas dinner,” Merlin reassured her. “But if you want me to talk to him, I can.”

“No, Merlin,” Gwen sighed. “It’s not Lance or Will, or even Gwaine.” Gwen paused. “Ok, well, it’s always Gwaine, but I don’t need to talk to you alone about Gwaine’s newest conquest. Heaven knows if she’ll even stick around long enough to make it to dinner tonight, or if there’ll be someone new already.”

Gwen’s eyes widened as she realized what she’s just said about their friend. “Oh, I didn’t mean to imply that she’s easy or that Gwaine is a player or that…” she trailed off.

Merlin laughed. “Don’t worry, Gwen. We know it’s true. Hell, Gwaine knows it’s true. But, if it’s not Will or Gwaine, then who…” Merlin paused as the realization hits him. “Me? You want to talk about me and Arthur?”

Gwen bit her lip nervously again. “Oh this is so hard, Merlin.”

“What’s wrong with my relationship with Arthur?” Merlin demanded.

“Well, it’s just we’ve noticed some things,” Gwen said vaguely.

“We’ve noticed some things?” Merlin repeated. “We as in you guys? As in my friends?”

“Yes?” Gwen squeaked.

“Alright then, let’s hear it,” Merlin said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the kitchen table.

“I know this is the first year that Arthur will be joining us for our pre-Christmas party, and I just want you to be happy and I’m not really sure that’s a good idea.” It all came out in a rush and Merlin had to replay what she’d said in his head before he really understood.

“Why would inviting my boyfriend to our pre-Christmas party, the one we have with our friends every year, be a bad idea?” Merlin gritted out through clenched teeth.

“Oh, Merlin,” Gwen said, resting her hand on his arm in a soothing gesture. “We’ve seen how he treats you.”

“How he treats me?”

Gwen sighed again. “He’s always making excuses to not hang out with the rest of us, and when he does he ignores you the whole night.”

“No he doesn’t!”

“When we all went out to celebrate Gwaine’s promotion, where was Arthur? Or when Lance and I announced our engagement? Which, sure, we’re your friends, not his. Not really. But you guys have been together for a while.”

“It’s complicated,” Merlin started.

“What about when you finished your thesis, Merlin?” Gwen asked, cutting him off. “Were things so complicated that he couldn’t make it to the celebratory dinner?”

Merlin rubbed his hands through his already messy hair, making his bedhead even more obvious.

“I know this is hard to hear,” Gwen said softly.

“Of course it’s hard to hear,” Merlin snapped. “None if it is true. Arthur’s life is very complicated. We’ve been doing the best we can for a while, and I know that he can seem distant, but it’s not like that. He felt horrible about not making my dinner, you know.”

“Merlin, I’m sure he said that, but when you look at the pattern…”

“There’s no pattern!” Merlin insisted. “He was out with us last night, wasn’t he?”

“Technically. But he spent the whole night talking to Kay and Leon in the corner,” Gwen pointed out.

“So? They’re his friends.”

“Don’t they play on the same football team? They see each other like three times a week. It’s not like he had years of catching up to do. He only came over to our table when he was ready to leave.”

“Look, things are complicated, Gwen,” Merlin said again, dismissing her concerns with a wave of his hand. “And besides, Arthur really isn’t into PDA.”

“PDA? I’m not even talking about PDA! I’m talking about public displays of you and him in the same room together.”

“Honestly, I don’t know if I’m angry or amused,” Merlin mumbled, passing Gwen and pulling open the fridge. “I suppose I should be grateful that you guys are all so worried about the state of my relationship. Although, you seem to think that Arthur is a Grade A prat, which is pretty shit.”

“We’re just looking out for you, Merlin,” Gwen said softly. “Remember when we had to talk to Freya about her ex?”

Merlin slammed the fridge door closed, causing the plates to rattle on the shelves. He turned to face Gwen again, face suddenly furious.

“That scumbag was knocking her around! We were helping her get out of an abusive relationship!” Merlin yelled, slamming his fist down on the counter. “You’re equating my relationship with Arthur to that?!”

Gwen looked up at Merlin wide-eyed, her hand covering her mouth, like she shocked herself.

“No, Merlin, what I meant to say was….”

But before she could finish, there was the loud creek of a door hinge and the squeak of the floorboards in the hall.

“Merlin? What’s with all the noise?” Arthur said, voice thick with sleep. Shirtless, he shuffled up behind Merlin, eyes only half open, and nuzzled into Merlin’s neck as he slid his arms around Merlin’s waist. “Did you make coffee, love?”

Merlin wrapped his arms over Arthurs, but didn’t take his eyes off of Gwen’s now shocked face. “Gwen did, actually.”

“Huh?” Arthur mumbled against Merlin’s neck. “Gwen?”

It took a moment for the realization to hit Arthur and he pulled slightly away from Merlin, looking around the room, suddenly much more awake.

“Yes, Gwen just stopped by to drop some stuff off for the party tonight,” Merlin said, smoothly.

Arthur blushed scarlet from the roots of his blond hair and down his neck to his chest.

“I’m just gonna,” Arthur pointed over his shoulder towards Merlin’s room and vanished without another word.

A moment of tension hung between Merlin and Gwen.

“Like I said, not big into PDA,” Merlin repeated.

Gwen looked down at her hands and Merlin worried that she might cry.

“Oh, Gwen,” Merlin said, his previous anger fading away. “Look I appreciate your concern, but honestly things are fine between us. Look, come into the living room for a minute.”

Gwen didn’t look up to meet Merlin’s eyes, but nodded and followed him into the room she had bypassed on the way to the kitchen. The usually tidy room is stacked with boxes, and piles of clothes were draped over every surface.

“Whoa, how did I miss this mess?” Gwen asked, astonished. “Where did this all come from? And how are you going to fit everyone in here with all of this?”

“It’s Arthur’s,” Merlin said. “We, uh, finally told his father about our relationship. It wasn’t pretty. There was some yelling – mostly by me – and then we were grabbing things out of the flat that Uther pays for and suddenly we were here, and, uh, that was two days ago. We weren’t really thinking about the whole dinner party thing at the time. But, I guess we can just shove most of it into the bedroom for tonight.”

“I’m such an idiot. Of course, you weren’t thinking of the party,” Gwen said. She worried at her lip again before finally looking up to meet Merlin’s eye. “Is he ok?”

Merlin laughed. “He’s been better. I mean, we were planning on telling to Uther eventually, but it kinda happened and I think he’s a little thrown by the idea of not spending Christmas with his family. See every time Arthur’s had to miss a dinner or a hang out, it’s because of his family. And even when he’s away from them, there’s this lingering guilt. It makes going out hard,” Merlin explained. “Oh, and last night, he had to tell Leon and Kay that he won’t be making the next few matches because he has to clear out his flat, which I think might have really cemented it all in his mind. So, yeah. Like I said, complicated.”

“So he’s,” she gestured around.

“Yep, he’s living here now,” Merlin confirmed.

Gwen looked around the cluttered room in astonishment. However, her attention was caught, not by Arthur’s possessions, but by a large yellow triangle next to Merlin’s map above the fireplace.

“What’s this?” she asked, moving carefully to traverse the room.

“Oh, that?” Merlin said, hesitating. “It’s kinda an Advent Calendar…”

Gwen turned around to find Merlin blushing and shuffling his socked feet. She turned back around and leaned forward to take a closer look.

It was a collection of post-its, arranged in a loose interpretation of a Christmas tree over a section of green paint that was flaking away to reveal the white base coat underneath. Two different sets of handwriting spanned across the tiny squares, each numbered between one and twentyfour – with the last two remaining blank

Gwen’s eyes fell on Merlin’s familiar scrawl:

_#8 when you look to find me in the crowd after you score a goal_  
 _#14 when you talk about your job like it’s the best thing in the world and your eyes light up_  
 _#18 when you feel so proud that you remember my order at our favourite chinese place_

And in an unfamiliar hand:

_#3 when you order hot chocolate but try to pass it off as coffee (I can see the whipped cream! you aren’t fooling anyone!)_  
 _#11 when you lose track of time talking about your thesis_  
 _#17 when you line up our shoes so we don’t trip, but also because you think they won’t be lonely if they’re together_

In that other hand that must be Arthur’s:

_#21 when you opened your door to me_

Followed by Merlin’s:

  _#22 when you came to stay_

Gwen turned back around, tears glistening on her eyelashes.

“I’m really sorry, Merlin. I had no idea,” Gwen said and surprised Merlin by wrapping him in a hug.

Merlin returned the hug and squeezed her tight. “It’s OK, Gwen.”

“God, I’ve made such an ass of myself,” she said, pulling back and wiping her eyes on her sleeves. “I feel so stupid.”

“Honestly, Gwen, it’s fine,” Merlin said. “Maybe just try to get to know Arthur a little better, yeah? I mean, sure he can be a bit of a prat, but he’s definitely not as bad as you seem to think. He’s going through a lot but he’s trying.”

Gwen nodded. “Look, I’ve done enough damage this morning, and now Arthur’s probably hiding in your room until I’ve left, so yeah, I’m just gonna see myself out.”

“Gwen?”

“Yeah, I know, I know, it’s fine,” she gave him a watery smile. “I’ll be back in a few hours to help get things ready. Now go give your man a hug for me, ok?”

***

Arthur was cocooned in the bed when Merlin entered his room, tapping away on his phone with a small frown tugging at the corner of his mouth. Merlin took a moment to just watch his boyfriend, to take in the lines of his shoulders and his face. He was worried and stressed and even though Merlin knew that Arthur was happy to be in Merlin’s flat, he wished it was under different circumstances.

“You can stop hiding,” Merlin said from the doorway.

“I’m not hiding,” Arthur replied, tossing his phone aside. “I was just hoping you’d come back to bed.”

“And you ran away from Gwen because?”

“I was shocked to find her in our kitchen when I woke up.”

“You said our kitchen,” Merlin said and leapt onto the bed to kiss Arthur.

“Shut up, Merlin,” Arthur drawled.

Merlin reached out and wrapped the blankets around both of their shoulders so they were both covered as they sat across from each other on the bed.

“She was worried about me,” Merlin said after a long moment, fiddling with a loose string on his hoodie.

“Gwen? Why?” Arthur asked.

“She, uh, didn’t think you were good enough for me,” Merlin admitted. “She said you spend too much of your time away and that you ignore me when we go out.”

“God, my father would love that,” Arthur said bitterly, collapsing onto the pillows. “He always thought that whatever I was doing outside of the office was taking up too much of my attention.” He paused. “Then again, I think he thought it was football or excessive drinking.”

“You mean, he didn’t expect you to be spending all of your time with your one-time tutor from the ill-advised term you took Medieval History just because you needed the credit?” Merlin asked in mock surprise.

“He likes to block that whole semester from his mind – ’history is a soft option,’” Arthur said in an impression of his father.

“Shocking,” Merlin said, flopping back down onto the bed next to Arthur.

Arthur was quiet for a long moment. “I don’t ignore you, do I?”

He sounded so unsure of himself that Merlin reached out and pulled Arthur against his chest, resting his chin against Arthur’s smooth hair.

“Of course not,” Merlin whispered. “I know how things have been recently. And I told Gwen how wrong she is. I just wish I could do more for you. I wish I had more to offer you than this.” Merlin waved his hand around the room, indicating his weird old flat, the exact opposite of the one that Arthur had vacated just a few nights before.

“Idiot,” Arthur said softly, leaning up to brush his lips over Merlin’s. “You know you’re everything that I could possibly want.”

Merlin smiled, wide and open, and climbed on top of Arthur, pressing him into the bed before leaning down to kiss him thoroughly. Merlin slid his hands up Arthur’s chest and then back down the long, smooth lines of his abdomen.

“I love you,” Merlin mouthed against Arthur’s neck, as he slid his hands further down into Arthur’s pyjama bottoms.

Arthur arched into Merlins touch, reaching up and pulling Merlin’s mouth back against his own. “I love you, too.”

And after that no other words were needed.

***

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Will said, stopping dead in the doorway, staring around the small living room in shock. “How the hell did you pull this off?”

The recently cluttered living room was now free of Arthur’s possessions, and instead occupied by two mismatched tables, each set and piled with Christmas crackers. The walls were adorned with paper lanterns, and the ceiling had twinkle lights tacked up in swooping criss cross waves.

“Merlin?” Will called, swinging the door shut behind him and venturing into the kitchen. “I’ve brought my famous– Oi, who are you?”

Will was brought up short by the sight of a tall, thin brunette decked out in an emerald green party dress and sipping red wine while stirring something in a large pot on the stove.

“Merlin?” Will called again, not taking his eyes off the woman in an irrational fear that she might vanish. “There’s a woman in your kitchen and it’s not Gwen.”

“How observant,” the woman said, raising an perfect eye brow.

“Oh good, Will, you’re here,” Merlin said, appearing behind Will. “And you’ve met Morgana.”

“Morgana, is it?” Will said, handing Merlin his contribution to dinner and awkwardly adjusting his tie. Morgana rolled her eyes and shifted her attention back to the stove.

“Come on,” Merlin said, pulling Will back out into the living room. “Gwen and Lance should be here with the rest of the food any minute.”

“None of that explains why you have a gorgeous woman in your kitchen,” Will argued, but allowed himself to be pulled into the other room.

“What gorgeous woman?” Gwaine asked by way of greeting, pushing open the door and striding into the living room.

“Do you have a radar?” Merlin laughed. “Like, did you hear Will say ‘gorgeous woman’ and then you materialized to the his exact location.”

“That would be a deadly power,” Gwaine said, and Will nodded in agreement. “But no, this is just a moment of wonderful coincidence. Now, I ask again, what gorgeous woman?”

“That,” Merlin said in low whisper, “is Arthur’s cousin.”

“Arthur’s cousin?” Gwaine and Will said together.

“She’s the reason we have lights, and tables, and well, pretty much everything,” Merlin explained. “Now, Arthur’s trying to shove everything he owns into a pile in my room that won’t topple over and kill us when we go to bed later tonight,” Merlin paused, taking in the confused looks on their faces. “Gwen didn’t tell you?”

They both shook their heads.

“OK, short version: Arthur moved in. We’re brilliant and he’s not a prat. We’re not talking to his dad, who actually might be a prat. We ran out of chairs and called his cousin who invited herself over, but brought some sort of secret family recipe. Oh, and Arthur made gingerbread,” Merlin said in one breath. “Now, shut up and help me hang the rest of the garland.”

Will and Gwaine shared a look over Merlin’s head, but wisely declined from any further commentary, opting instead to help Merlin hang the popcorn garland across the room and argue over football teams. Arthur joined them after a few minutes, and luckily before the football talk could get out of hand, everyone else arrived.

Gwen and Lance came bearing a large turkey cooked in their own, much larger, much more reliable oven; Gwen shot Merlin a sheepish grin, and Merlin waved her off. She disappeared into the kitchen and if the amount of delighted noises were any indication, made fast friends with Morgana. Freya wandered in a few minutes later looking, at first glance, empty handed but was followed in by Kay carrying a box of her father’s wine, and Leon who had a stack of pastry boxes piled up to his beard.

Arthur broke away from his football monologue to hug them both before catching Merlin’s eye across the room and mouthing, “did you invite them?”

By the time they were ready for dinner, Merlin was shocked that his tiny flat was somehow able to accommodate such a large group – it was as if it had stretched and ignored the laws of physics in honour of the holidays.

Merlin’s friends and Arthur’s friends had intermingled around the table and before they started passing dishes around, Merlin pushed his chair back and stood up with his glass of wine.

“Before we start, I just want to thank you all for joining us for our annual pre-Christmas Dinner,” Merlin paused as around the table his friends cheered. “We’ve had a lot of changes this year. Gwen and Lance got engaged.”

“Finally!” Will stage whispered, winking at Gwen.

“And Freya starting running the the business side of her father’s winery,” Merlin continued.

“And what a lovely wine it is,” Gwaine said, holding up his own glass to Freya.

“And, Leon, correct me if I’m wrong here, but your team is no longer in last place in your league?”

The table burst into laughter.

“Hey,” Leon said, “we worked hard to get second to last.”

“Yeah!” Kay and Arthur agreed.

“What about you, Merlin,” Gwen said once the laughter died down.

“As for me–”

A pounding on the door interrupted Merlin. Everyone looked around the room as if trying to decide if they were still expecting another guest. The knock sounded again and everyone sat in a curious silence as Merlin set his wine down and crossed the room.

Uther was standing in the doorway looking tired and disheveled, his normally impeccable suit wrinkled and his tie crooked. He looked drawn and a bit ill, but under that was a look of determination.

“Is Arthur here?” Uther asked.

“Yes,” Merlin answered simply as he pulled the door closer to himself so that Uther couldn’t see fully into the room.

“I just want to talk to him,” Uther said quietly. “Please, it’s been days and he’s not returning my calls or my emails.”

“No,” Merlin said, low and cold. “No. You don’t get to come here, to my house, and ask to see him. We came to you and you did nothing, you said nothing. You let him walk away, you let him think that he was worthless. For as long as I’ve known Arthur he’s done everything he can to impress you, to make you proud. You know, he spends so much time trying to look good in your eyes, my friends thought he was a crap boyfriend. They thought he didn’t want to be seen with me in public. All because he’s always working.”

Uther opened his mouth say something, but Merlin didn’t give him the chance.

“And as long as I’ve known Arthur he’s never asked for a thanks and he’s never complained. But the one time he asks for something, you can’t give it to him. So, no, Mr. Pendragon. You cannot come in and talk to him, unless you are ready to apologize and accept Arthur for who he is.”

The start of a slow clap began, followed by a scuffling sound and a series of angry whispers.

Uther studied Merlin carefully.

“Well?” Merlin asked.

“I did come here to apologize,” Uther said stiffly.

“Really?” Arthur said, coming up behind Merlin and slotting himself against the other man, leaving no doubt as to the nature of their relationship.

“Of course, Arthur,” Uther said with a sigh. “You are my son and I never meant for things to get so out of hand the other night. I was caught off guard and I said a lot of things that I regret and even more that I didn’t mean. You could never disappoint me, and if you’re mother was still alive she’d be just as proud of you as I am.”

Arthur beammed at his father. “Thank you.”

Uther hesitated before extending his hand to Arthur, who studied it for a moment before grasping it with his own. Merlin watched, arms crossed, as Uther leaned forward and awkwardly patted Arthur on the shoulder with his other hand, as if that was the closest to a hug he could manage.

“Can we eat now?” Gwaine called.

Merlin stepped back and pushed the door open to reveal the rest of the party guests.

“You can stay if you want,” he suggested with as much politeness as he could muster. “There’s plenty.”

“But it might all be cold,” Will quipped.

“That’s nothing. One year, my father and Uther argued over the best way to carve a turkey for so long that the rest of us just skipped to desert.”

“Morgana?” Uther asked, shocked to find his niece sitting between two of Arthur’s football friends in Merlin’s ramshackle flat.

She winked up at him and then refilled everyone’s wine glass. “You might need it,” she mouthed to Gwen.

“Come on,” Merlin insisted. “It’s pre-Christmas.”

Another chair was dragged in from the kitchen and everyone shoved a little closer together. And even though Uther looked like he wasn’t sure he belonged at this table, Merlin could see the tension drain out of Arthur shoulders.

As the food finally started to make the it’s way around the table, conversations broke out all around him, and Merlin leaned back and smiled. Merlin knew that it really wasn’t going to be this easy, but it was the best he can hope for now. And it was a start. Once you have the start the rest will follow.

“I really appreciate what you’re doing for my cousin,” Morgana said casually after dinner, setting her plate in the sink and grabbing a pie. “I’ve been wanting Arthur to break away from Uther his whole life, and he never could. I guess he never had a good enough reason.”

Before Merlin could say anything, Morgana swept back out into the living room with one of the many pies. Merlin grabbed another and headed back to the table, sliding into his chair next to Arthur.

“Thanks for letting him stay after everything that happened,” Arthur whispered against Merlin’s ear, watching his father awkwardly try to strike up a conversation with Will, who seemed to be pretending to be interested in investment banking. “It’s your flat, you didn’t have to do that.”

“No,” Merlin said, turning to hold Arthur’s jaw in his hands. “It’s our flat.”

***

Sometimes, late at night or early in the morning, Merlin and Arthur would wake to a loud creaking noise, and they would assume that the house was old and merely settling. They’re used to it happening and fall back asleep easily, never knowing that it was the attic flat sighing in content – happy to finally be occupied by the right people.


End file.
